President Bush authorized a new National Space Policy—the first revision in 10 years. Oddly there was no public announcement. The Office of Science and Technology on Oct. 6 posted on its Web site an unclassified 10-page paper, titled “US National...

President Bush signed the 2007 defense authorization bill on Oct. 17, some 11 days after receiving it from Congress. Addressing the numerous provisions for DOD to submit reports on various subjects, Bush made clear that he would uphold his constitutional...

The Congressionally chartered Commission on the National Guard and Reserves is getting company in its effort to review the now more extensive use of reserve components. The Pentagon has tapped its Defense Science Board to form a task force to...

The Air Force’s new airdrop system, now dubbed “Screamer” JPADS, is on track for more technical tests this month, followed by a technical evaluation in December. After it passes the tests, JPADS is bound for delivery to troops overseas as...

Gen. Paul Hester, commander of Pacific Air Forces, believes North Korea can be persuaded to stop developing nuclear weapons, according to Associated Press news service. Hester told AP that “there are many opportunities to change actions by a country and...

Mario Mancuso, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combating terrorism, told defense reporters Oct. 18 that the classified Irregular Warfare Execution Roadmap lays out 30 tasks over the next year to build Pentagon capabilities to conduct...

The Air Force has laid out requirements for its $1.07 billion Wideband Gapfiller Satellite program, stipulating that the Boeing contract has options for a second block of satellites, reports Dow Jones Newswires. Each block will have three satellites and the...

The first of several ski-equipped LC-130s flown by New York Air National Guardsmen and bound for McMurdo Station, Antarctica, stopped briefly at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Oct. 17, according to a 13th Air Force news release. The flight is part of...

The Air Force sent its first small diameter bomb-equipped warplanes—F-15Es from RAF Lakenheath, England—into action in Southwest Asia earlier this month. Among the people and units making that possible were the munitions experts of the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron, reports Air Force journalist Maj. Anne Knabe. “It’s exciting to be part of this cutting-edge technology,” said A1C Nahtana Williams, a munitions apprentice.

Radar systems on the Air Force’s B-1B—originally built by Northrop Grumman in the 1980s—will be now be replaced and sustained by Northrop, according to a company press release. The Air Force awarded Northrop an $18.9 million contract for “radar system...

Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-Calif.), ranking minority member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released on Oct. 17 the executive summary of the committee’s special counsel report that says former Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham steered $70 million to $80...

Raytheon recently performed three successful tests of the advanced medium-range air-to-air missile in conjunction with USAF and the Spanish Army at Sweden’s missile test range in Vidsel, Sweden. The surface-launched AMRAAM hit the target drone, according to a Raytheon statement....

Oct. 17, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 18 9 27 CAS/Armed Recon 40 34 74 Airlift 150 150 Air refueling 34 34 Total 58 43 184 285 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance